


Questionable Choices

by wickedorin



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: AU, Gen, M/M, making fun of adult videos, vague discussion of "adult videos"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-08 04:50:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1927248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedorin/pseuds/wickedorin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written as a fill for a drabble request on AwaitingMassProduction: "Maybe even the thing where Isra gets to meet the Heroes and Antonio recognizes him from certain career choices."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Questionable Choices

**Author's Note:**

> Isra-mun and I were in full agreement that Isra and Antonio should maybe have known each other from a while back and some “poor life decisions” and maybe some, you know, very special videos. Together. Because.

"I’m a little nervous." Isra admitted, checking to be sure that his clothes were wrinkle-free before one hand idly started to play with his hair. "I can do this, though."

"Indeed you can. If you wish to leave at any point—" Kurou began to offer.

"Oh, don’t worry. I won’t be subtle about it." The NEXT assured with a little sound of amusement. "They’re… your friends. And your family. You care about them, and they care about you. That’s all I need to know."

"I am very pleased to hear such." Kurou admitted, for a moment just lightly grasping that fidgeting hand. "You look particularly nice. Presentable."

Isra laughed at that word. “Well good. Like your— Like yours?”

"Like my equal. And my interest." The android responded.

"Works for me."

With a nod, Kurou wordlessly escorted the man into the HERO TV building, signing him in as a guest with a temporary lanyard. Leading the way to the gym, the android didn’t allow a moment’s pause to be nervous; he simply entered with the human’s hand still in his own. When several eyes drifted toward them, he began, “I apologize for the sudden interruption.”

"It’s no interruption, cutie." Nathan was quick to assure—and just as quick to notice. Everything. “Oh my, who have you got there?” His little android was growing up so fast.

"Ah, this is—"

"Oh, hello Kurou-kun." Keith greeted with a smile as he emerged from the locker room. "You brought someone else?"

"I assure you that I am quite certain and secure in the knowledge that he is not a threat and is certainly trustworthy." The android announced, hoping to quell any possible fears before they began.

"Oh are you?” Nathan couldn’t possibly resist, walking a little closer in order to inspect the newcomer. While Isra’s smile was slightly forced, he didn’t really feel threatened… yet.

"Absolutely." Kurou asserted. "I had wanted you all to meet—"

Antonio had just come out of the locker room himself, glancing over—then coming to a sudden and complete stop. The name just kind of happened without giving conscious thought to it. “Isra.”

Kurou blinked, tilting his head. “Yes. Do you know him?”

Alarm bells were going off in Antonio’s head. Worse, he could feel Nathan’s gaze. Oh he would never live down that little mistake he’d made in his 20’s. “Uh. Nope.”

Kurou only found that response incredibly confusing. Moreso when Isra himself remained silent, blushing slightly, though looking incredibly amused. “You called him by name, however. That much might insist that you know him in some capacity.”

"Right." Digging a deeper hole for himself, the bull tank just decided that heading for the door was his only option. "Um. I’m late, I’m just gonna leave now."

The way Nathan managed to just slide in front of him was vaguely disturbing. Then again, a lot of what Nathan did was vaguely disturbing. As was the actual grip strength the man possessed when he grabbed Antonio’s arm. “Oh no you don’t, you just got here. How do you know Kurou’s little friend?”

"I see him at the grocery store." Antonio blurted before he could make any attempt at a more reasonable explanation. Or one that didn’t harken back to a porno vid company that paid decently, asked few questions, and liked to employ “artsy” writers from time to time. There was a lot of the same old boring crap, too, but then… there was that damn grocery store video. He’d learned way too much about phallic vegetables from that, and still couldn’t eat whole pickles.

It seemed like the grin on Isra’s face just kept spreading. “It’s true.” He offered ever so helpfully; but there was something just a touch devious about that smile. “It’s kind of a… specialty store. Right? Just a little… out of the way.”

Antonio was going extremely red, extremely quickly. “Yeah, so… well, I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Nathan didn’t entirely bother to make the fact that he was far more interested than he should be in exactly how the two of them knew each other anything but obvious. “Really, now, you’re going to make me miss out on your daily exercise routine?”

And if Nathan were anyone else, he’d just be shoved out of the way. Antonio did his best to convey some sense of urgency without resorting to yelling or pointing. “I don’t wanna… you know. This could get awkward.”

The businessman raised an eyebrow with the slight change in the other man’s tone— but he still damn well wasn’t about to let things drop so easily. “And why would it be awkward? Out of curiosity.”

"Yeah, what’s awkward about this?" Isra asked innocently. Much, much too innocently.

It wasn’t that Kurou didn’t sense something as he remained particularly silent. It was just that he wasn’t clear on what he was sensing, and even if he had been… he’d have let it play out anyway out of sheer morbid curiosity.

Antonio’s glare was damn well strong enough to practically be heat vision. No one moved, no one spoke.

At least, no one except for Isra, conveniently snatching up the spotlight and all of the power in the conversation. “We see each other at the store all the time, don’t we?”

Much as he didn’t feel like playing along, he thought it might just get him out of the situation rather than having to go straight through Nathan. “Yeah. Yeah, well, that was before you knew I was, uh. Well, here. And. Um.”

"Oh nonsense." Isra flipped his hair back with ease. "Just because you buy those little Hello Kitty snacks for little girls doesn’t mean this has to be awkward."

Antonio’s right eyelid twitched. Slightly. Well, fine. He could go with that. “That’s not too often. I’m not real big on sweets.”

"Right, right. I remember.”

He needed to get out while the getting was good. “Anyway, I’ll be seeing you.”

"At the store." The long-haired NEXT replied, moving to cling to Kurou’s arm.

"At the store." Antonio very nearly growled, getting the sinking feeling that his obvious hints were being willingly ignored.

"The clothing-optional store." Isra pushed as far as he damn well could.

Which proved to be just a little much. “I have really—”

"A what?" Keith asked innocently, the conversation seeming to have taken a very strange turn.

"Oh you have got to tell me where that is.” Nathan was grinning far too wide to even suggest that he was actually playing along.

Antonio muttered a curse under his breath. “Alright, fine. I made some questionable choices a few years ago, okay?”

The sharp tilt of Kurou’s head was almost fast enough to hear. “Are you offering that as a reason for you to frequent clothing-optional super markets?”

Isra laughed because he couldn’t do anything else, moving to hug the android. “Oh you dear, sweet thing.”

Antonio could do little more than place a hand against his forehead and desperately will his approaching headache away. Sometimes Kurou was way too much like Kotetsu. “I’m going to go now. Isra… you’d better look after him.”

Blinking, he really hadn’t expected that. “Yeah. I will. And I’ll make sure to never take him to that grocery store.”

"Y-yeah." Not that that helped his developing headache any. "Good."

"I don’t think I’ll dial up that pizza delivery service, either." That smile was the furthest thing from innocent. "They had a strange way of apologizing for pizza being over thirty minutes late."

Sighing to himself, Antonio just stared at Isra for a long while. Then looked at Kurou. “Whatever he says about me… don’t believe him. Or at least don’t repeat it to me.”

The android merely stared for a short time, processing for well over a full second. “Acknowledged.”

Knowing that was the best he was going to get, Antonio got the hell out of there. He was going to need time to prepare for everything Nathan was definitely going to throw at him.


End file.
